This red rooibos iced tea is made with zesty lemon and sweet, tangy raspberries for a delicious fruity twist. It's easy to make, refreshing and naturally caffeine-free - the perfect summer beverage both adults and children will love!

Side view of rooibos iced tea with lemon wedge and mint leaves in tall glass, with frozen raspberries and lemon wedges on top of brown tray, and jug of iced tea in background.

Rooibos iced tea is a delicious, caffeine-free alternative to regular iced tea. It is made by making rooibos tea, preparing a quick fruit mixture then combining these along with lemon, mint and ice cubes for a refreshing beverage.

Is rooibos iced tea good for you

Yes, it is! Indigenous to South Africa rooibos tea (also called 'red bush') is naturally caffeine free and contains half the tannins occurring in black tea (these plant compounds are responsible for the astringent, bitter flavour of strong black as well as green teas). This means that, unlike black or green iced teas, mild, sweet tasting rooibos iced tea does not require too much sugar (if any).

Rooibos/red bush tea also contains minerals and antioxidants which make it ideally suited for transforming into a nutritious, thirst-quenching iced tea.

Rooibos iced tea ingredients and substitutions

Rooibos tea: I recommend using tea bags rather than loose rooibos tea leaves.
Fruit: I used a combination of raspberries and lemon, but strawberries or mixed berries make a good alternative.
Sugar: This can be either regular sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, rice syrup or agave. Adjust the amount to your taste.
Vanilla: I used a little vanilla bean paste, but you can omit this if using vanilla flavoured rooibos tea.
Mint leaves.
Ice cubes.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Make rooibos tea: Pour 1 cup of freshly boiled water into a jug using 3 tea bags. Set aside for a few minutes then remove the tea bags and add 2 cups of cold water. Set aside to cool completely.

Top down view of red rooibos iced tea with tea bags in see-through jug on top of wooden table.

2. Prepare fruit: In a pan heat the raspberries, add your sweetener of choice, vanilla, and cook quite rapidly for a few minutes until the mixture becomes syrupy, stirring often.

Top down view of cooked raspberries with spoon in skillet on top of wooden board.

3. Sieve fruit mixture: Put the mixture through a fine sieve and using a large spoon to help separate the pulp and juice from the seeds.

Top down view of raspberry sauce in small bowl and raspberry pulp with spoon inside sieve.

4. Assemble: Once the tea has cooled add the raspberry mixture, lemon juice and mint leaves. Drop in fresh raspberries and a couple of lemon wedges and refrigerate for about an hour. Serve with ice cubes.

Side view of rooibos iced tea in tall glass with mint leaves, tea in juglemon wedges and raspberries in background.

Variations

Rooibos iced tea latte: Omit the fruit and add a little milk (regular or plant-based) along with ice cubes, instead.
Rooibos ice tea drink: Combine cooled red rooibos tea with pomegranate or cranberry juice (equal amounts).
Make it fizzy: Use 2 cups of cold gassy water instead of still (cool the tea completely before adding the gassy water).
Serve with other fruit: Add different fresh fruit to your rooibos ice tea including orange wedges, peach, apple or watermelon. They will become infused with the rooibos tea flavour and will taste delicious!

Top tips

Use either regular or flavoured rooibos tea (omit the vanilla paste if using flavoured tea). Flavours such as vanilla, chai or earl grey can all be used.
You can make the tea ahead and, once cooled, refrigerate overnight until you are ready to make the recipe.
Either fresh or frozen berries are fine to use. Frozen will take about 2 more minutes to cook.
Adjust the amount of sugar to suit your preference.
I created the froth in my rooibos iced tea by placing a hand blender into the jug, before adding the lemon wedges and mint leaves, and blending on low speed for a few seconds. This step is optional.
Leftover iced tea with rooibos can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

More rooibos recipes to try next

Recipe